by Archaeologists discovered dozens of shoes from the Roman era at an old continued location in northern England, including several huge leather shoes that measure almost 12 inches and raise questions about their straps.
The find in the Magna Roman Fort near Carvoran in Northumberland reveals new insights into the lifestyle of people who lived in the region almost 2,000 years ago.
The excavations started in the northern defensive trenches of ancient times, with some of the first 32 shoes that were uncovered.
A 32 -cm leather shoe sole, which was excavated by the archaeologists, gained attention and with a further excavation of the old shoes, a few more of the extraordinary size were found.
So far, eight old shoes from the construction site have been recorded as “XX large” 30 cm or length, with one at 32.6 cm long (modern British size 14/US size 16) has so far been recorded as the largest previously uncovered.
“There is much more to discover what the people who lived in Magna and understand what effects climate change have on this extremely important historical resource,” said Rachel Frame, senior archaeologist in the project.
“Bio finds like this are some of the most valuable of our websites that grasp the imagination of visitors and volunteers alike, but they are also the risk of our changing climate,” warned Dr. Frames.
Archaeologists also found shoes in a number of other sizes, including those that belong to children.
In comparison, the average size of the shoes in the old area is about 24-26 cm, says researcher.
“I think there is something completely different here in Magna, even if this small sample has discovered, it is clear that on average these shoes are much larger than most of the Vindolanda collection,” said archaeologist Elizabeth Greene from the University of Western Ontario.
“Even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1 cm or 10 mm, this means that these shoes are indeed very large,” said Dr. Greene.
Researchers say that shoes are unique on the website, whereby everyone gives insights into the person in the Römer era who wore it.
“It reminds us that not every population was the same that big differences between the regiments and people who served Hadrian’s wall could be culturally and physically,” said Andrew Birley, director of excavations at Vindolanda Charitible Trust.
“We can only celebrate and be amazed if we can still see them in the archaeological data that we collect today,” he added.
